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THE SCREEN; BACK ON THE SCREEN

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After four years away from the movies, Fred Allen makes a whirlwind return in a dizzy, bewildering picture, entitled "It's in the Bag." Name it and you can have it, for this rat's nest of nonsense, now at the Globe, defies the sober description of a comparatively rational mind. It's a catch-all of Allen witticisms wisecracks and comedy routines, and if "bag" is the authors' handle for it, that's sufficient definition for us.Anyhow, from this sack of silly salad Mr. Allen and a troupe of fellow clowns shake a story of sorts about a barker for a flea-circus who inherits a wad. The only trouble is that the money has been sewn in the seat of a chair, and Mr. Allen has to find that piece of furniture to save himself from debtor's jail and a murder charge.In his quest of the chair—and vindication—he encounters a great many folks, starting off with the famous Mrs. Nussbaum (Minerva Pious) of his radio show. He also encounters Jack Benny, with whom he has a familiar colloquy, and Jerry Colonna in the role of a slightly slap-happy psychiatrist. Then he runs into Rudy Vallee, Don Ameche and Victor Moore as singing waiters in a gay-Nineties cafe and William Bendix as the leader of a gang. In the end, he gets the money, turns the tables on John Carradine and gets his daughter (Gloria Pope) married to Robert Benchley's son.For that great unseen radio audience which hangs on Mr. Allen's every show, this film—which plainly borrows from that medium—should prove an extenuated treat. Mr. Allen encounters his cast like guest performers on his show. And each of the well-defined sequences has the characteristics of an "act." But for those of us moderate listeners who can take Mr. Allen or leave him alone and who like to see a well-assembled picture, this one is just a cross-fire of gags.The comments of Mr. Allen on the credits at the beginning of the film are superlative spoofing, however, and we recommend them to everyone. "In Hollywood," says Mr. Allen, in wry derision at the endless show of names, "all a producer produces is relatives." Well, that's not all, but—let it pass.

Fred Allen Back in FilmsIT'S IN THE BAG, screen play by Jay Dratler and Alma Reville; directed by Richard Wallace; produced by Jack H. Skirbald and released by United Artists. At the GlobeFred Floogle . . . . . Fred AllenEve Floogle . . . . . Binnie BarnesParker . . . . . Robert BenchleyDr. Greengrass . . . . . Jerry ColonnaMr. Pike . . . . . John CarradineMarion . . . . . Gloria PopePerry . . . . . William TerryMrs. Nussbaum . . . . . Minerva PlousHomer . . . . . Dickie TylerDetective Sully . . . . . Sidney TolerHotel Manager . . . . . George ClevelandandJack Benny, William Bendix, Don Ameche, Rudy Vallee and Victor Moore.Comparisons are odious but sometimes inevitable, and since Metro's "Son of Lassie" officially is proclaimed a sequel to "Lassie Come Home," it is only fair to point out that the newcomer falls short of being a worthy heir to a champion. For the dog adventure which arrived at Loew's Criterion on Saturday subordinates the warm and tender sentiment which characterized its predecessor to a topical and highly improbable plot. The resulting film, which, while it undoubtedly will be a delight for dog lovers, evolves mainly as a lengthy, contrived and only occasionally suspenseful melodrama handsomely dressed in the lovely polychromes of Technicolor.Once again the story is concerned basically with a beautiful collie's devotion to his master. Gorgeous but apparently not blessed with too much sagacity, Laddie trots some forty miles from home to be with Joe Carraclough, RAF flyer. When the latter's plane (with Laddie aboard) is shot down over Norway, the two bail out and are separated. Their ensuing treks across the Nazi-occupied countryside are as replete with derring-do as a hectic serial. A great canine for traveling great distances, Laddie braves snipers, bombings, hand grenades, a ferocious police dog, glaciers and raging rapids to seek out his adoring owner. It is this blind, indomitable love which nearly traps his master when the undiscerning Laddie leads the enemy soldier-searchers to his hideout. And it is as much the self-sacrificing underground and stamina which serve finally to bring the two together for their ultimate escape to England.Peter Lawford invests the role of Joe Carraclough with boyish charm and simplicity. Donald Crisp, as his Yorkshire father and trainer of the dogs, and Nigel Bruce as Crisp's employer, the bumbling Duke of Rudling, give solid interpretations of the parts they created in "Lassie Come Home." And June Lockhart contributes an unassuming performance as the Duke's granddaughter and Joe's sweetheart. Despite such commendable portrayals, however, it is the winsome Laddie and Lassie who romp away with the acting laurels of this pretty but incredible picture.